The wait is over, and the St. Patrick’s Day Festival has arrived! While this weekend is generally synonymous with all sorts of debauchery, the city really embraces the holiday to express its culture—from concerts featuring Irish music to theatre shows about Celtic myths. City buildings are illuminated with green lights and shops are adorned with decorations. There is a general air of merriment, and the city really takes on a multicultural vibe with thousands of tourists pouring in to celebrate.
The first day of celebrations my friend and I went to the Eammon Doyle photography exhibit called Made in Dublin. Then we went to Merrion Square where tents were set up with many activities. We were interviewed by the local paper and they did a mini photoshoot with us amongst the wild daffodils. I felt like getting to be a part of the newspaper was indication that I am a true Dubliner now, haha.
The next day, my friends and I dressed up all in green and hiked down to St. Patrick’s Cathedral to get good viewing spots for the parade. We snacked on dark chocolate digestives and Pringles while the event started up. Finally, the first group came by in a horse-drawn carriage and then a whole array of floats followed. These magnificent floats were generally followed by dancing children dressed up in cute costumes. The parade ended with a series of marching bands, some of which were visiting from America to my surprise. After the parade we went to Cloud Nine for some St. Patrick’s Day donuts and ice cream. We stuffed ourselves with green sugary things and then walked it off on our way to the Convention Centre, which was hosting amusement park rides. My friend and I screamed our faces off in solidarity with other daring souls and eventually returned to ground elated and slightly dizzy.
I was really happy my time in Dublin aligned with St. Patrick’s Day because it was fascinating to get a firsthand experience with the holiday in its place of origin. I’ve tucked away my green sequins hairbow and green feather boa for next year, and I can’t wait to bring them out again.
Kirsten Mossberg
<p>I am a nerdy artist who loves to try anything and eat everything! I want my life to be filled with as many experiences as possible. I'm a writer, actor, video editor, visual artist, composer, scientist, and bonafide knitter. I'm happiest when I'm creating something, and one day I want to write and produce an animated series -- at least until the Food Network offers me a sweet gig as a judge on MasterChef.</p>
